


Through the Night

by The_Plaid_Slytherin



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Future Fic, King Stannis, M/M, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-06 19:39:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16393928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Plaid_Slytherin/pseuds/The_Plaid_Slytherin
Summary: Stannis' nights are plagued by thoughts and dreams; Davos wants to help.





	Through the Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sir_Bedevere](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sir_Bedevere/gifts).



Stannis jerked awake, heart racing. He had drifted off to sleep at some point and slipped into another nightmare. At least now it was near dawn and close to a respectable time to be awake. 

He rolled over onto his side and watched Davos. He was fast asleep on his back, one hand resting next to his head. Stannis marveled at the ease with which he feel and stayed asleep. Stannis could never get comfortable and had given up trying, for his thrashing disturbed Davos. Even when he did drop off, it was hardly for long. His racing mind was to blame for that.

At least it was not so bad to wake near to dawn and be able to engage in one of his favorite pursuits. He dared not reach for his lover, for Davos deserved to sleep as long as possible. He lay quietly and planned his day, waiting for Davos to awaken. 

His eyes fluttered open as the sun rose and Stannis propped his head on his elbow as though he, too, had just wakened. 

"Good morning."

"Good morning, sire." Davos reached out and cupped his stubbly cheek. "I hope you slept well."

Stannis leaned forward and kissed Davos so he would not have to answer. The last thing he wanted was to worry Davos, and so far, he thought he had succeeded. 

The memories of the night before faded as Stannis moved through his day. It all seemed harmless, the wakefulness, the dreams, the worries. He would not have them tonight, he thought. The work of being king would make him tired and he would sleep a good portion of the night. 

That did not happen. The next night was exactly the same. 

**

It was evening, and Davos was on his way to rouse Stannis from his work. He often worked late, losing himself in paperwork or some figures, but Davos was not going to let him miss supper. 

This day, though, saw Stannis slumped over his desk. 

"Stannis?" he asked gently.

Stannis lifted his head. There was a smudge of ink on his cheek and he looked strangely vulnerable to have been awakened by surprise. 

"Are you all right?" Davos asked. 

"I'm fine." Stannis rubbed his mouth, still looking dazed.

"Supper?"

They went down together, neither speaking of Stannis' uncharacteristic nap. That night, though, Davos lay beside Stannis, waiting for him to fall asleep. Stannis remained staring at the ceiling every time Davos opened his eye.

By the time of the hour of the bat, he lifted his head. 

"Having trouble sleeping?"

Stannis' mouth pressed into a line. "A bit." 

"Would you like to talk about it?" 

Stannis did not reply. In the dim light from the moon that shone through the break in the bed curtains, he looked closed up tight, and Davos didn't think him likely to reply. 

"Shall I sit here with you?"

"You should sleep, if you can."

"I do not wish to sleep if you are struggling."

Stannis heaved an irritated sigh. "It does no good to talk of it. Talking of it would change nothing. My mind will not let me rest." 

"Is there aught that might bring you comfort or let you rest?" Davos held Stannis' gaze and did not let him look away. 

"No." Stannis lay down and pulled the covers up over his head. Davos took that as his cue to lie down and go to sleep, but as he pressed against Stannis' broad back, he sensed that his lover was still awake. 

**

Stannis moved foggily through another day, hating himself for making Davos worry. He hovered incessantly, doing things he normally would never have dreamt of, like kissing Stannis after their small council meeting.

"Would you rather sleep apart, Davos?" Stannis asked, as they made the dreaded trek toward the bedchamber. "You have your own chamber, though you never use it. Or I could sleep elsewhere so you may have your usual bed."

"I cannot sleep alone in the king's bed." Davos took his hand. "But if you think you would be more comfortable without me…"

"Never." This was the furthest thing from the truth and Stannis could not help but speak sharply, though he always hated when he did so to Davos. "Having you at my side is my sole comfort during these torturous nights."

Davos nodded, but he still looked stricken with a sadness Stannis loathed to see on his face. "I just wish there was a way I could help you rest." 

"We could—" He stopped. He felt foolish asking for this, but he would have to speak the words to see if it would help. He had not said exactly these words before, but he had said similar words. He had told Davos he loved him, that he wanted to be with him, at Winterfell. He had told Davos he wanted to take him to bed at White Harbor.

He cleared his throat and Davos tilted his head, listening keenly as he always did.

"Davos, will you hold me?"

Davos' brown eyes widened imperceptibly in the candlelight. Stannis shrank back. Had this been simply an exercise in foolishness?

Stannis found he could not stop talking. "I thought perhaps it would help. I do not know what would help. But I do long to feel your arms around me." 

Then, Davos' eyes softened. "Of course, Stannis. When we began to do this, I confess I simply assumed you would be more comfortable on your own side of the bed." 

"That—I thought that would be the case as well." He looked down at the rushes, feeling his face burn with shame. But what was there to shame him? The fact that he loved Davos? "But I think it might help. I always take comfort in your presence by my side through the night, and I wonder if I would, in fact, sleep if you held me."

Davos took Stannis' hands in both of his. "Then shall we find out?"

Stannis felt strangely nervous as they undressed, almost as nervous as he'd felt the first time they had done this after being settled in the Red Keep. Davos had come to his bed gradually, at first coming and going only when they wanted sex. Stannis remembered clearly the first night he'd invited Davos to spend the night, the whole night, in his bed, without even the presumption that they would make love.

He had felt more like a blushing virgin than he had when Davos had initiated him into what two men might do in bed, as he shucked his clothes and put on his night shift. He lifted the covers and slid beneath them. Davos followed.

They met in the middle of the bed, Davos smiling fondly at him. 

"There is no shame in this, Stannis," Davos said gently. 

"I know."

Davos opened his arms and Stannis slid into them, letting his head fall onto Davos' shoulder. On impulse, he slipped his leg over Davos'. 

"How is that?" Davos asked.

Stannis snuggled into Davos' side. He tamped down the creeping feeling that he, the King on the Iron Throne, should feel ashamed to desire the arms of his Hand around him while he slept. 

"Good," he said. "It feels good."

"I am glad." Davos kissed his forehead. "Tomorrow, we must begin thinking about the representative of the Iron Bank." Davos continued in the same sort of talk they always engaged in when they were lying in bed together. It was no different with their being huddled up so closely.

They spoke of all manner of things—how the day had gone, plans for the next, what book they might next read together if they caught a spare moment. Before long, Stannis yawned. 

Davos smiled fondly and stroked his hair. "Do you think you might sleep?" he asked. 

"I may," Stannis said. Davos kept talking and gradually, Stannis' replies came fewer and further between. Perhaps he was on the edge of sleep. 

He tried not to think too much about it, lest he chase it away. At the very least, he felt content and secure, and that was not a bad way to pass the night.


End file.
